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Chico City Council moves forward with proposed entertainment zones ordinance
Seeking to revitalize local businesses, the Chico City Council voted unanimously to approve the first reading of a proposed ordinance establishing two entertain
Brewers Take Worthy Gamble In Trade With Astros
The Milwaukee Brewers took a worthy gamble in acquiring two pitchers ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on August 3. Milwaukee is atop the NL Central and has one of the top teams in the MLB, but the Brewers could upgrade their pitching staff. So, ahead of the MLB returning on Thursday, the Brewers ...
Lowcountry business creates new job opportunities for locals, veterans
Sterling Helicopter plans to open its first South Carolina operation in Beaufort County this September.
2026 Open Championship odds, picks, date: Surprising predictions from golf model that's nailed 17 majors
Mike McClure's model has simulated the British Open 2026 10,000 times and revealed PGA best bets and picks for Royal Birkdale
Texas Rangers hit another bump navigating imperfect TV climate
The Texas Rangers dropped Victory+ as their direct-to-consumer distributor, an unpopular decision that left viewers wondering why it happened in-season and what the heck BZZR is. The Texas Rangers knew...
Two Familiar Faces Emerge to Replace Steve Yzerman
Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper are the leading internal candidates to replace Steve Yzerman as Red Wings general manager.
ECU Health hospitals now out of network with UnitedHealthcare
Multiple patients said they either switched insurance providers to keep their doctors at ECU Health or, unable to make that change, must now travel to other areas for treatment.
Fanatics Fest 2026 daily guide: Will LeBron James announce his free-agent decision during a live podcast taping?
Anaheim Ducks reportedly intend to leave Victory+ streaming platform
Victory+ picked a bad Wednesday to have a bad Wednesday. The Ducks are the second team to walk away from the streaming platform within hours, and the exit comes with two years still remaining on Anaheim’s contract. According to a report from Sports Business Journal’s Alex Silverman, the Ducks have notified Victory+ – who has…
Californian pair indicted for operating darknet drug trafficking business in U.S. and South Florida
Two suspects from California accused of running a darknet drug trafficking business throughout the U.S. and in Miami-Dade and Broward counties were indicted on Wednesday, authorities said.
ZeniMax Online Studios leadership to exit as part of Xbox cuts
There are major changes happening atop Maryland-based ZeniMax Online Studios, developer of the Elder Scrolls Online, Game File has learned. Joe Burba, a 14-year veteran of the studio who was appointed to run it last July, is departing, along with ESO executive producer Susan Kath, studio game director Rich Lambert and production director Ala Diaz. Their roles were listed among hundreds of others cut last week from the Maryland offices of ZeniMax, in a WARN letter sent to the state by ZeniMax and obtained today by Game File. Tonight, BUrbam Kath, Lambert and Diaz notified Zenimax Online Studios workers of plans to “transition” to a new leadership team consisting of promoted ZOS veterans. That transition will occur “over the next few months,” they told workers, according to a copy of the notice reviewed by Game File. “We will remain in place during the transition period to help ensure a smooth handoff.” Last week, Microsoft laid off of 1,600 workers across its vast gaming teams in locations around the U.S. and abroad. Just who has been impacted and how hard various studios have been hit has been emerging day by day. Game File reported last week that Microsoft/ZeniMax notified officials in Maryland that 379 gaming jobs were being cut across the state. They tallied cuts in two locations: one for ZeniMax Media Inc. (covering Elder Scrolls/Starfield/Fallout-maker Bethesda Game Studios and central Bethesda game publishing) and one for ZeniMax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online). More than 200 jobs were cut at the latter. Last week’s totals did not reveal job titles, nor did Microsoft announce any leadership changes in the ZeniMax group. That has now happened. Earlier today, Game File obtained from Maryland officials a breakdown of the 379 impacted roles, which, extraordinarily, included “studio head.” Microsoft later confirmed to Game File which studio head that referred to: ZeniMax Online Studios’. Microsoft has since has notified studio employees and internally announced new leadership. ZOS will now be run by Josh Henderson, previously head of business operations at the studio, and Nick Giacomini, who was promoted to game director for ESO last August. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Last week’s news of 200+ cuts at ZeniMax Online Studios generated public sympathy for those workers and questions about the long-term viability of the Elder Scrolls Online. ESO is a massively multiplayer online game that inherently persists on the strength of new content being developed for it. Earlier today, fans and workers in Maryland protested the cuts at the ZeniMax teams in a rally organized by the Communication Workers of America, the union that represents many of the impacted employees. Regarding concerns around the game, a community manager stated on Saturday: “The plan is still to deliver great content, and we will hopefully have an update soon.” In their note to the studio today, the outgoing leaders of ZeniMax Online Studios predicted “growth” for the game: We have tremendous confidence in Josh and Nick, the future of this studio, and the continued growth of ESO. With exciting experiences still ahead for our players as we wrap up work for Update 51 and beyond, we believe that your passion, creativity, and commitment to each other and the community will continue serving as the heartbeat of ESO. The list of jobs cut in the ZeniMax WARN notice in Maryland includes several very senior roles, including: Studio Head Studio Operations Director Studio Game Director Studio Audio Director Studio Art Manager Vice President and Controller VP, Global Sales & Business Development While some of those job descriptions match the exiting ZOS leadership team, Game File couldn’t verify if all were from that studio. The full list of cut roles shared by Maryland officials also covers workers at Bethesda Game Studios and its central publishing office. The following is an excerpt: The list of 379 eliminated ZeniMax jobs in Maryland also includes: four animators three bilingual CS (community service) leads for Chinese, Italian, and Japanese a creative director for the Elder Scrolls Online Player Life Cycle two food service workers seven producers more than 60 senior QA testers. and many others The WARN notice states that almost all of the 379 workers were notified of their layoff on July 6. In fine print, it states: “Approximately 9 employees were notified of the elimination of their position prior to July 6, 2026.” A 2021 mega-merger scaled back Microsoft announced in 2020 that it intended to buy ZeniMax and its network of game studios in 2020, and closed the $7.5 billion deal in March 2021. The purchase, which preceded Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, added several award-winning studios to Microsoft’s portfolio, including Bethesda (Elder Scrolls, Fallout), Arkane (Dishonored), and id Software (Doom). The studios’ output since then included a 2024 Game of the Year contented from MachineGames in the form of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle along with Starfield from Bethesda and the poorly-received Redfall from Arkane Austin. In recent years, a Microsoft repeatedly in cutback mode closed ZeniMax’s Tango Gameworks (which was reconstituted by Krafton) and closed Arkane Austin. The Xbox cuts last week have hit the ZeniMax group hard, with 158 jobs eliminated in Texas, many of them at id, and 379 from the ZeniMax teams in Maryland. Xbox also said last week that it would be entering a consultation process around Arkane Lyon, a process expected to end in a sale, shutdown or other form of divestment. The Lyon team has been working on a game tied to Marvel’s Blade vampire-hunting super-hero.
Dave & Buster’s moves further into nightlife with nationwide rave series
Dave & Buster’s is teaming with Brownies & Lemonade on a nationwide rave series, bringing surprise DJs and multi-genre dance music lineups to seven U.S. cities through December.
Cavs beat Pelicans 82-77 behind Malaki Branham’s 22 points
The Cavs have one game left in Vegas.
Two Key Oklahoma Baseball Players to Return for 2027 Season
The Oklahoma Sooners received much-needed news for their 2027 lineup, as they will return two major hitters from the 2026 national championship team
We Tracked Over $780 Million in Fundraising for Trump’s Presidency
The president and his allies have built a network of groups financed by wealthy donors and businesses that is advancing his priorities with little public disclosure.
Jessica Alba signs on for 13 Going On 30 reboot
Jessica Alba has joined the cast of Netflix's 13 Going On 30 reboot.
A tale of two Trump flip-flops
The president undid everything the Logoff wrote about this week.
You can now watch free movies on Fandango without an account
These days, “free” is few and far between—but not today! Fandango just announced that it is expanding its collection of free movies and TV shows that you can watch without an account. That’s right, yo...
Fireball over New York City was a rare meteorite containing evidence of extraterrestrial water
A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024 is a rare, primitive space rock containing evidence of ancient water.
LeBron James Could Put Philadelphia 76ers Over the Top
The Philadelphia 76ers have already won the offseason after the trade with the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown, when they sent an aging Paul George and a package of draft picks for one of the NBA's top-15 players. Imagine if they get LeBron James, too? Heading into this coming season, the 76ers ...
Giants Rivals Feature 2 of NFL's top-10 Wide Receivers
The New York Giants are ecstatic to see A.J. Brown leave the NFC East. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens each landed on the list of the top-10 wide receivers, which was voted on by 70-plus scouts, coaches and executives and compiled by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Giants went 1-1 against Dallas last year, and nearly swept the the Cowboys if not for the Cowboys' furious, last-minute comeback.
Report: Trump administration policies cost the average Ohio household $2,175
Two new reports suggest Trump administration policies are hitting Americans' pocketbooks. Being tied to those policies could spell trouble for Republican candidates in November's elections.
Pixel Devices Get Fancy New Beta
Two weeks ago, Google released Beta 6 for Android 17 QPR1. Now we're getting Beta 7, available now to all supported Pixel devices. Suitable for everyday usage, Android 17 QPR1 became platform...
Lionel Messi fuels Argentina’s stunning late rally past England into World Cup final
With two late, heart-stopping goals, Argentina caught and passed England in the World Cup semifinal, winning 2-1 in yet another miraculous, come-from-behind triumph.
Android 17 QPR1 Beta 7 rolling out for Pixel
Following last release two weeks ago, Android 17 QPR1 Beta 7 is rolling out today for Pixel devices. Android 17...
‘The Odyssey’ Journeys Up the Top Titles Audiences Are Hyped For
ScreenShare: A data partnership between ScreenEngine/ASI & TheWrap
Biden will publish 'Promise Me, America' memoir after the November midterm elections
The timing of the book — two weeks after midterm elections in which Democrats seek to regain control of Congress — could raise concerns within Biden's party by putting him back into the spotlight.
Former Gators QB Retires From NFL Career
The former Florida Gators quarterback had been signed with the Carolina Panthers before retiring
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?
Backlash against Sony over PlayStation's all-digital future gets louder — here's how things could play out in court
By eliminating physical game discs in 2028, Sony may be setting itself up for antitrust battles reminiscent of Epic's monopoly claims against mobile app stores.
Pokémon GO Wild Area 2026 Event Dates Announced
After the hype of the 2026 Pokémon GO Fest events and the excitement of Mega Mewtwo X and Y, we are buzzing to share that the Pokémon GO Wild Area is returning in November 2026! This year there will also be two in-person Pokémon GO Wild Area events, alongside the global event. The Pokémon GO […]
Gemini Spark gets Workspace upgrades as Google teases AI Pro access soon
Following the last update two weeks ago, Google is rolling out a series of new features for Gemini Spark...
Downtown business owners rail against revised paid parking rules
Only five days after it was implemented, two downtown Sarasota business owners prompt City Commission to reexamine overhauled paid parking program.
Scottie Scheffler favored to win Open, but bettors like Europeans
Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to win the Open Championship, but sportsbooks are getting action on European golfers like Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood.
Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham will perform at Hershey Theatre on Nov. 18
Popular ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham will return to Hershey later this year with a show at Hershey Theatre, Hershey Entertainment announced Wednesday. "With headline-generating performances...
Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Stephen and Ayesha Curry
Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry and entrepreneur, host and two-time New York Times best-selling author Ayesha Curry.
ESPN New York joins Buffalo Bills Radio Network
ESPN and the Buffalo Bills are giving New York sports fans something few people in the metropolitan area have been clamoring for. Beginning in the 2026 NFL season, ESPN New York 1050 will be part of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network. The Bills made the announcement Tuesday morning, revealing 23 affiliates in their radio network…
Jalen Brunson to Join Variety’s Inaugural Sports & Entertainment Studio in New York
Variety is bringing its acclaimed Sports & Entertainment franchise to New York City in its first-ever interview studio featuring conversations with the voices shaping the future of the sports and ente...
Two Triangle hospital systems considered for key State Health Plan status. Who got it?
Duke Health and WakeMed were under consideration for the plan’s new access tier as officials worked to finalize the 2027 network.
Top US science body readies climate report as Republicans push back
The United States' leading scientific body is set Thursday to launch a major report on the link between climate change and extreme weather, a growing research field now underpinning lawsuits seeking b...
Young Dallas Cowboys Defender Draws High Praise From NFL Scout
After allowing more points than any other team in the NFL last season, the Dallas Cowboys had no choice but […]
Organizers of efforts to establish two new political parties in Nebraska submit signatures
The groups behind the effort to establish two new Nebraska political parties submitted required signatures to get a ballot line this November.
Dr. Hillary Porter of Marshall Health Network named 2025 West Virginia Pediatrician of the Year
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Hillary N. Porter, D.O., associate professor of pediatrics at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and board-certified pediatrician, psychologist and child and adolescent psychiatrist with Marshall Health Network, has been named the 2025 West Virginia Pediatrician of the Year by the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in recognition of her dedication to children’s […]
UT health professions camp highlights career opportunities
A two-day summer camp at the University of Toledo gave 35 high school students a glimpse into health care careers beyond nursing or being a doctor. ...
Stephen Curry Wins Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award
Four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry was named the recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian award, during the ...
'The Odyssey' review: Christopher Nolan's new movie is an unexpected spiritual sequel to 'Oppenheimer'
Christopher Nolan makes Homer's material his own — and becomes an Oscar frontrunner in the process.
Duke Health to Continue Caring for State Health Plan Members Under New Access Provider Network
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke Health has been selected as an Access Provider in the North Carolina State Health Plan’s new tiered provider network for 2027, ensuring state employees and their families can continue receiving care through Duke beginning January 1, 2027.
July’s PS Plus Game Catalog titles include Rise of the Ronin and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Indigo Prophecy / Fahrenheit is also one of two Classics Catalog titles this month…
PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for July 2026 Confirmed
Sony has confirmed the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for July 2026, which is headlined by Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Rise of the Ronin, and two PS2 classics.
Rangers games to stream on new platform Bzzr
The Texas Rangers and Rangers Sports Network presented by Progressive (RSN) on Wednesday announced BZZR (pronounced ‘buzzer’), the first verified all-sports digital and content platform, as the new direct-to-consumer distributor for the club’s televised game broadcasts. The broadcasts will no longer be available on former provider Victory+, effective immediately. “When
The Duskbloods closed network test set for August 21 to 23
FromSoftware will host a closed network test for player-versus-player-versus-environment-based multiplayer action game The Duskbloods from August 21 to 23, the developer announced (2). Sign-ups wil…
Texas Democrats demand answers after two deadly ICE encounters
Two shooting deaths of men in cars by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — one in Texas, the other in Maine — are bringing new attention to ICE’s tactics and training.
Carson College of Business expands certificate offerings to build Washington’s workforce
The expanded Carson Pro portfolio includes a new supply chain management certificate and a partnership with Ziplines Education to offer certificates in artificial intelligence as well as high-demand business skills.
How weight, diet and lifestyles are affecting women’s hormonal health - Baylor College of Medicine Blog Network
Dr. Mona Romezi explains how weight, diet and lifestyle affects women's hormonal health and how to balance those hormones.
AMM Ascend to host sports networking event at NHTI this Saturday
AMM Ascend, a New Hampshire sports group, is hosting an official launch event to connect talented athletes to opportunities in the sports world.
Value of Things: Make or Break series— Xavier Hutchinson
Is this a make or break year for Xavier Hutchinson?
Scientists warn microplastics make antibiotics fail
As if we needed another reason to worry about plastic pollution, science just handed us a pretty terrifying one. We already know microplastics are clogging up our oceans, drifting through our air, and...
Peace Center 2026-27 schedule includes neo-soul, gravity-defying shows
Shows for the upcoming Peace Center season will run from Sept. 2, 2026 through June 2, 2027.
Cape Cod restaurants: New cocktail spots and cafes open in two towns
New cocktail spots and cafes are opening across Cape Cod, including a speakeasy-style lounge in Falmouth.
Google's AI search features pose 'unacceptable risk' to children, new report finds
Common Sense Media found that across more than 2,600 test interactions, Google’s two built-in AI search functions routinely failed to recognize risky and harmful behavior.
Pennsylvania Republicans won on lowering prices. Then came the Iran war.
Two Republicans who unseated House Democrats in 2024 after promising to lower the cost of living are fighting to keep their seats amid rising prices.
Motorola's brand-new Edge 70 Max flagship is exquisitely affordable and impressively feature-packed
Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor and equipped with blazing fast magnetic wireless charging, Motorola's latest Galaxy S26 Ultra rival is fully official... in India.
David Blough shares heartwarming Matthew Stafford story
David Blough was Matthew Stafford's teammate in 2019 when the future MVP did something remarkable for him.
Marion Concert Band to host movie and space themed performance
The Marion Concert Band will perform a free movie and space themed concert at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand on July 24.
Sabres Troll Red Wings, Other NHL Teams
The post Sabres Troll Red Wings, Other NHL Teams appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now. One year removed from a 14-year postseason drought, the Buffalo Sabres decided to remind the Detroit Red Wings which team […] The post Sabres Troll Red Wings, Other NHL Teams appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Independent Testing Shows Which Business Security Products Actually Hold Up When It Matters
When Iranian-linked hackers breached medical device maker Stryker in March 2026, they did not need a sophisticated zero-day exploit to cause chaos. Once inside, they triggered simultaneous factory resets on more than 200,000 corporate devices across 79 countries, grinding order processing, production and shipping to a halt for days. Two months later, Foxconn confirmed that the Nitrogen ransomware group had stolen an alleged 8 terabytes of data from its North American factories, including project
Independent Testing Shows Which Business Security Products Actually Hold Up When It Matters
When Iranian-linked hackers breached medical device maker Stryker in March 2026, they did not need a sophisticated zero-day exploit to cause chaos. Once inside, they triggered simultaneous factory resets on more than 200,000 corporate devices across 79 countries, grinding order processing, production and shipping to a halt for days. Two months later, Foxconn confirmed that the Nitrogen ransomware group had stolen an alleged 8 terabytes of data from its North American factories, including project
Rhayuela’s Next Gen Takes Over
Prominent Colombian shingle Rhayuela, known for such memorable pics as Cannes 2015 Un Certain Regard title “Alias María,” “El Páramo” and “Rebellion,” is shuffling its leadership although its six orig...
Giants Trade Pitch Deals Disappointing Former 1st-Round Pick
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton predicts the New York Giants will trade cornerback and former 1st-round pick Deonte Banks. The post Giants Trade Pitch Deals Disappointing Former 1st-Round Pick appeared first on HEAVY.
Eagles Biggest Question Has to Do With Jalen Carter Again
If things are similar to how they've been in years past, the Philadelphia Eagles will have one of the better defenses in the NFL. The only question that remains for this defense at the moment is what it will do with Jalen Carter.
Travis Hunter’s change in appearance gets noticed by NFL fans
Travis Hunter entered the NFL in 2025 with a lot of hype surrounding him. He won the 2024 Heisman Trophy for his outstanding two-way performances with the Colorado Buffaloes under his father, Deion Sanders. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected him as…
Adam Silver says NBA didn't 'pause' Kawhi Leonard trade, that Raptors, Clippers did; confident probe will end before new season
Stripe, Advent offer to buy PayPal for more than $53 billion, sources say
Payments company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have made a joint offer to acquire PayPal Holdings Inc for $60.50 per share, in a deal that would value the payments company at more than $53 billion, two people familiar with the matter said.
Raiders Get Strong Fernando Mendoza Take From Former NFL Coach
The Las Vegas Raiders have a decision on their hands with training camp nearing, and that’s whether the Silver and Black should go with veteran Kirk Cousins or hand the keys to the franchise over to Fernando Mendoza.Having Cousins start the season can allow Las Vegas to bring Mendoza along slowly. Nonetheless, one former NFL […] The post Raiders Get Strong Fernando Mendoza Take From Former NFL Coach appeared first on HEAVY.
Vikings' offense earns praise for improvements from Bleacher Report
The Vikings' offense needs to be better in 2026 and Bleacher Report believes they can be.
David Gabriel Georges provides update, refutes recruiting rumors
High priority Ohio State target, 5-star running back David Gabriel Georges provide an update on his recruitment and refuted the rumors out there.
Oregon business association challenging constitutionality of BOLI bill
Oregon Business and Industry and two others filed a lawsuit arguing lawmakers violated the constitution when they passed a bill to fund Oregon BOLI.
Promising Patriots OL named to NFL’s 2026 All-Breakout team
Patriots center Jared Wilson could be a potential breakout player to watch in 2026.
FTO designation exposes compliance gaps in Brazil’s entertainment sector
Following a domestic money-laundering probe that linked funk artists to Brazilian criminal groups and the subsequent US designation of two cartels as terrorist organisations, Brazilian legal practitioners tell Latin Lawyer they are updating sanctions-screening systems for entertainment-industry clients, reassessing their own onboarding processes for artists and producers and reaching out to Mexican peers for guidance on managing the fallout.
Can Bengals top Rams and Lions in trios rankings?
Can Joe Burrow and his weapons top the rankings?
Chase Daniel 'excited' about the New York Giants in 2026
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47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
Maple Leafs, Sabres both want 1400-point free agent
Toronto and Buffalo are both interested in a logical free agent target.